Who's Who of Ferguson Protests: Leaders, Activists

"The World Is Watching" is more than a social-media catchphrase or a fodder for protest signs. Indeed, Ferguson is being watched, and the world seems disturbed by what it's seen so far.

Jessica Lussenhop

The Amnesty International delegation in Ferguson is the first of its kind -- ever -- to set foot in the United States.

Amnesty International
Things must be bad if Amnesty International arrives on scene. The global human-rights watchdog group makes frequent stops in countries beset with corruption and strife, and the Middle East keeps the organization busy. But now a thirteen-member delegation is exploring Ferguson.

"This is a human-rights crisis in America," executive director Steven Hawkins told Daily RFT earlier this week. He says the group is alarmed at police's expansive "must walk" laws enforced on West Florissant Avenue. He characterized the police's tactics toward protesters as a threat to free speech.

The deteriorating situation in Ferguson has attracted dozens of lawyers from across the country to don the neon green hats of Legal Observers for the National Lawyers Guild. They can be seen handing out pamphlets or advising protesters on their rights -- but even lawyers aren't immune from arrest: The National Lawyers Guild reported that police arrested Legal Observer Max Suchan and detained him for four hours Wednesday morning.